the higher learning in america-第43章

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teachers；　is；　in　the　common　run　of　cases；　crowded　to　one　side　and



presently　drops　out　of　mind。　Like　other　workmen；　under　pressure



of　competition　the　members　of　the　academic　staff　will　endeavour



to　keep　up　their　necessary　income　by　cheapening　their　product　and



increasing　their　marketable　output。　And　by　consequence　of　this



pressure　of　bread…winning　and　genteel　expenditure；　these



university　men　are　so　barred　out　from　the　serious　pursuit　of



those　scientific　and　scholarly　inquiries　which　alone　can；



academically　speaking；　justify　their　retention　on　the　university



faculty；　and　for　the　sake　of　which；　in　great　part　at　least；　they



have　chosen　this　vocation。　No　infirmity　more　commonly　besets



university　men　than　this　going　to　seed　in　routine　work　and



extra…scholastic　duties。　They　have　entered　on　the　academic　career



to　find　time；　place；　facilities　and　congenial　environment　for　the



pursuit　of　knowledge；　and　under　pressure　they　presently　settle



down　to　a　round　of　perfunctory　labour　by　means　of　which　to



simulate　the　life　of　gentlemen。（5*）



　　　　Before　leaving　the　topic　it　should　further　be　remarked　that



the　dissipation　incident　to　these　polite　amenities；　that　so　are



incumbent　on　the　academic　personnel；　apparently　also　has



something　of　a　deteriorative　effect　on　their　working　capacity；



whether　for　scholarly　or　for　worldly　uses。　Prima　facie　evidence



to　this　effect　might　be　adduced；　but　it　is　not　easy　to　say　how



far　the　evidence　would　bear　closer　scrutiny。　There　is　an



appreciable　amount　of　dissipation；　in　its　several　sorts；　carried



forward　in　university　circles　in　an　inconspicuous　manner；　and　not



designed　for　publicity。　How　far　this　is　induced　by　a　loss　of



interest　in　scholarly　work；　due　to　the　habitual　diversion　of　the



scholars'　energies　to　other　and　more　exacting　duties；　would　be



hard　to　say；　as　also　how　far　it　may　be　due　to　the　lead　given　by



men…of…the…world　retained　on　the　faculties　for　other　than



scholarly　reasons。　At　the　same　time　there　is　the　difficulty　that



many　of　those　men　who　bear　a　large　part　in　the　ceremonial



dissipation　incident　to　the　enterprise　in　publicity　are　retained；



apparently；　for　their　proficiency　in　this　line　as　much　as　for



their　scholarly　attainments；　or　at　least　so　one　might　infer；　and



these　men　must　be　accepted　with　the　defects　of　their　qualities。



　　　　As　bearing　on　this　whole　matter　of　pomp　and　circumstance；



social　amenities　and　ritual　dissipation；　quasi…learned



demonstrations　and　meretricious　publicity；　in　academic　life；　it



is　difficult　beyond　hope　of　a　final　answer　to　determine　how　much



of　it　is　due　directly　to　the　masterful　initiative　of　the　strong



man　who　directs　the　enterprise；　and　how　much　is　to　be　set　down　to



an　innate　proclivity　for　all　that　sort　of　thing　on　the　part　of



the　academic　personnel。　A　near　view　of　these　phenomena　leaves　the



impression　that　there　is；　on　the　whole；　less　objection　felt　than



expressed　among　the　academic　men　with　regard　to　this　routine　of



demonstration；　that　the　reluctance　with　which　they　pass　under　the



ceremonial　yoke　is　not　altogether　ingenuous；　all　of　which　would



perhaps　hold　true　even　more　decidedly　as　applied　to　the　faculty



households。（6*）　But　for　all　that；　it　also　remains　true　that



without　the　initiative　and　countenance　of　the　executive　head



these　boyish　movements　of　sentimental　spectacularity　on　the　part



of　the　personnel　would　come　to　little；　by　comparison　with　what



actually　takes　place。　It　is　after　all　a　matter　for　executive



discretion；　and；　from　whatever　motives；　this　diversion　of　effort



to　extra…scholastic　ends　has　the　executive　sanction；（7*）　with　the



result　that　an　intimate　familiarity　with　current　academic　life　is



calculated　to　raise　the　question　whether　make…believe　does　not；



after　all；　occupy　a　larger　and　more　urgent　place　in　the　life　of



these　thoughtful　adult　male　citizens　than　in　the　life　of　their



children。







NOTES：







1。　It　was　a　very　wise　and　adroit　politician　who　found　out　that



〃You　can　not　fool　all　the　people　all　the　time。〃







2。　　La　gloria　di　colui　che　tutto　muove；



　　　　Per　l'universo　pen閠ra　e　risplende



　　　　In　una　parte　pi*　e　meno　altr'ove。







3。　In　a　certain　large　and　enterprising　university；　e。g。；　the　pay



of　the　lowest；　and　numerous；　rank　regularly　employed　to　do　full



work　as　teachers；　is　proportioned　to　that　of　the　highest　　much



less　numerous　　rank　about　as　one　to　twelve　at　the　most；　perhaps



even　as　low　as　one　to　twenty。　And　it　may　not　be　out　of　place　to



enter　the　caution　that　the　nominal　rank　of　a　given　member　of　the



staff　is　no　secure　index　of　his　income；　even　where　the　salary



〃normally〃　attached　to　the　given　academic　rank　is　known。　Not



unusually　a　〃normal〃　scale　of　salaries　is　formally　adopted　by　the



governing　board　and　spread　upon　their　records；　and　such　a　scale



will　then　be　surreptitiously　made　public。　But　departures　from　the



scale　habitually　occur；　whereby　the　salaries　actually　paid　come



to　fall　short　of　the　〃normal〃　perhaps　as　frequently　as　they



conform　to　it。



　　　　There　is　no　trades…union　among　university　teachers；　and　no



collective　bargaining。　There　appears　to　be　a　feeling　prevalent



among　them　that　their　salaries　are　not　of　the　nature　of　wages；



and　that　there　would　be　a　species　of　moral　obliquity　implied　in



overtly　so　dealing　with　the　matter。　And　in　the　individual



bargaining　by　which　the　rate　of　pay　is　determined　the　directorate



may　easily　be　tempted　to　seek　an　economical　way　out；　by　offering



a　low　rate　of　pay　coupled　with　a　higher　academic　rank。　The　plea



is　always　ready　to　hand　that　the　university　is　in　want　of　the



necessary　funds　and　is　constrained　to　economize　where　it　can。　So



an　advance　in　nominal　rank　is　made　to　serve　in　place　of　an



advance　in　salary；　the　former　being　the　less　costly　commodity　for



the　time　being。　Indeed；　so　frequent　are　such　departures　from　the



normal　scale　as　to　have　given　rise　to　the　（no　doubt　ill…advised）



suggestion　that　this　may　be　one　of　the　chief　uses　of　the　adopted



schedule　of　normal　salaries。　So　an　employee　of　the　university　may



not　infrequently　find　himself　constrained　to　accept；　as　part



payment；　an　expensive　increment　of　dignity　attaching　to　a　higher



rank　than　his　salary　account　would　indicate。　Such　an　outcome　of



individual　bargaining　is　all　the　more　likely　in　the　academic



community；　since　there　is　no　settled　code　of　professional　ethics



governing　the　conduct　of　business　enterprise　in　academic



management；　as　contrasted　with　the　traffic　of　ordinary



competitive　business。







4。　So；　e。g。；　the　well…known　president　of　a　well　and　favourably



known　university　was　at　pains　a　few　years　ago　to　distinguish　one



of　his　faculty　as　being　his　〃ideal　of　a　university　man〃；　the



grounds　of　this　invidious　distinction　being　a　lifelike　imitation



of　a　country　gentleman　and　a　fair　degree　of　attention　to



committee　work　in　connection　with　the　academic　administration；



the　incumbent　had　no　distinguishing　marks　either　as　a　teacher　or



as　a　scholar；　and　neither　science　nor　letters　will　be　found　in



his　debt。　It　is　perhaps　needless　to　add　that　for　reasons　of



invidious　distinction；　no　names　can　be　mentioned　in　this



connection。　It　should　be　added　in　illumination　of　the　instance



cited；　that　in　the　same　university；　by　consistent　selection　and



discipline　of　the　personnel；　it　had　come　about　that；　in　the



apprehension　of　the　staff　as　well　as　of　the　executive；　the



accepted　test　of　efficiency　was　the　work　done　on　the



administrative　committees　　rather　than　that　of　the　class　rooms



or　laboratories。







5。